I kept eating breakfast, keeping my gaze fixed on the plate before me. Every bite seemed harder to swallow, my appetite weighed down by the words I’d heard earlier. At first, the only thing I could focus on was the realization that he hadn’t wanted me by his side. That thought eclipsed everything else he’d said, but slowly, his actual request started to sink in.

“You said… you needed me to do something for you,” I ventured, my voice laced with hesitation. “What is ...